What I Wanted Say
by Aki Kaede
Summary: [Oneshot] Tomoka got Sakuno to do something she never thought she would ever have the courage to do. What will happen? RyoSaku!


Author's notes: Here's a RyoSaku!

I wrote this pretty long ago, and wrote it for pretty long too. I don't know how it turned out to be. A bit messy?

Anyway, I may be on hiatus for a while. I'm just getting used to uni life and there's a lot to be settled... So that means **Affections Across Time** would not be updated in a while. Sorry to all the readers! Another reason I would not update it so early is because it has 22222 words! I got a shock when I realised it too! It's totally random!

This was supposed to be posted a few days back but the ruler option won't work. So I improvised...

Enjoy this fic and please review! Thanks to all my reviewers too!

Disclaimer: I do not own Prince of Tennis or any of its characters.

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**What I Wanted To Say **

Sakuno was fidgeting and her cheeks were red. She looked very worried and she kept darting her eyes to and fro on the ground.

"Ne, Tomo-chan!" Sakuno whined. "Can I please don't do this?" she pleaded.

"Sakuno! You have made up your mind already haven't you!" Tomoka scolded.

"But…but…Tomo-chan…" Sakuno stuttered.

"No buts Sakuno!" Tomoka declared. "Do you really want to lose Ryoma-sama?" she asked, her hands on her hips, looking straight into her friend's chocolate-brown eyes.

Sakuno did not answer, but had still had that worried look on her face. She pouted her lips instinctively.

"Now now Sakuno!" Tomoka patted Sakuno's back cheerily. "I know you can do it. Besides, you gave me your promise yesterday!" she smiled creepily.

Sakuno sighed. She wished she hadn't said that in the spur of a moment. It all happened because both she and Tomoka had seen a girl of the same grade hit on Ryoma. Not that it bothered them much; they were used to seeing girls around the tennis prince, though it seemed that he was not interested in all of them. The only difference was that this girl had been hitting on Ryoma for a long time. He usually just ignored her, however this time was different. He actually spoke to her! Tomoka sensed the danger and stirred up Sakuno's feelings, thus causing the shy girl to make the promise.

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"A…Ano, Tomo-chan…I…I…really don't want to do this…" Sakuno pleaded, shifting in her seat.

"Too late Sakuno. It's all set. You have to go with it." Tomoka smirked.

"But…but…" Sakuno started her stuttering again.

Tomoka ignored her and continued with what she was doing.

"All set!" She said when she finished and flashed Sakuno a smile. Sakuno looked as if she was going to cry soon.

Tomoka switched on a switch. There was a microphone in front of her. As if testing if it was working, she tapped it a little. When a sound which meant the microphone was working greeted her, she gave a satisfied smile and spoke into it.

"To all the students of Seishun Gakuen, I'm your host for today's 'Seigaku: Let Your Heart Out' programme, Osakada Tomoka! This is the programme where students can say anything to the entire school!"

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_At the same time:_

"Hey wasn't that Osakada?" Kachirou spoke.

"What's Osakada trying to do? Even with 2 years of tennis experience, I can't tell!" Horio said.

"Horio-kun…that's not what tennis experience can tell…" Katsuo sweatdropped. "Ryoma-kun, do you know anything?"

"Betsu ni." Ryoma answered simply, looking bored.

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"Today there is going to be something special! A girl would like to say something!" Tomoka's cheery voice was heard over the intercom. She gestured to Sakuno.

"Come on Sakuno!" She whispered as she covered the receiver.

"To…Tomo-chan…I rather not…" Sakuno was already moving towards the door.

Tomoka quickly gestured to another person who was in the recording room with them (A/N: He's part of the club that does the audio and stuff like that. I don't what's the exact name of this club) who got her idea and covered the receiver. Tomoka then went over to Sakuno and caught her firmly by the wrist.

"Mou Sakuno!" Tomoka said angrily. "You have to do this! If not Ryoma-sama will be with that girl! You don't want that to happen don't you!"

"But…but Tomo-chan…" Sakuno's voice was barely a whimper now.

"Sakuno! You have to do this! Go!" Tomoka pushed her friend in front of the microphone.

Sakuno froze in front of the receiver, unsure of what to say. She felt she was going to die of anxiety soon. She just stood there, not even giving out a sound.

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"What's the matter?" Students in Seigaku were asking each other. The host had said a girl would like to say something, but there had been complete silence for a while.

"Fuji, do you know what's going on?" Eiji, the hyperactive red-head asked his classmate.

Fuji just smiled. "Saa…"

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Sakuno shuffled her feet nervously. _"Doushiyo, doushiyo!" _she thought.

By this time, all the students had evacuated of the recording room, leaving Sakuno alone. They were separated from her by a piece of glass. Above the door of the room, the "On Air" sign was lit on. Sakuno nervously looked to Tomoka who was at the other side of the glass, as if asking for help.

_"SAY-SOME-THING!" _Tomoka mouthed to Sakuno. Seeing that had no effect, she took a piece of paper and began to write something on it. After she had finished, she placed it at the glass.

"STAY SILENT AND SAY GOODBYE TO RYOMA-SAMA FOREVER!" it read.

Sakuno shut her eyes together. She knew she had to say it, but lacked the courage. She certainly did not want to say goodbye to Ryoma forever. She took a deep breath. There was no way out of this, and the only way was to do it.

"A…ano…" Sakuno stuttered into the speaker. "I…I met you for the first time on the train and we spoke for the first time in the train station. I knew there was something special about you. That was also the day I first watched you play a game. It fascinated me, and I came to love watching them."

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Horio perked up when he heard the voice from the speaker.

"That voice…it sounds familiar…" he said.

"That's right." Katsuo agreed. "It sounds just like…"

"Ryuuzaki!" Kachiro exclaimed. The three boys stood there gaping.

"What is Ryuuzaki doing?" Horio let out, surprised. The freshman trio did not notice it, but Ryoma was sitting straight up in his seat, wide awake now.

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"You were just like a prince, so good in everything you do." Sakuno continued. Her features held a strong determination. "You got better and better with every single game and your tennis skills improved so quickly. I watched every single game of yours and each time, my admiration for you grew. I always felt uneasy and embarrassed when you are around. I hoped you would notice the best of me, but I was even clumsier in front of you…"

"I cheered my heart out for you at your every game. I sincerely wished you would win every single one of them so that you would be happy. There's nothing in this world which would make me happier than that. Just by looking at you my heart would pound like there was no tomorrow."

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Tezuka was doing some revision when he heard the familiar voice.

_"Ryuuzaki-sensei's granddaughter?" _he thought. He raised an eyebrow as he paid attention to something he would usually consider trivial or useless.

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Momoshiro was stuffing food into his mouth hungrily.

_"That voice sounds familiar…" _he thought, his hands and mouth never stopping.

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"I know there are many other girls out there who like you a lot. I'm just a clumsy girl who is bad in English as well as tennis. I know I still have a lot to work on." Sakuno continued. "But I can't stop my feelings for you. They are growing stronger and stronger each day. I'm trying my best to keep these emotions within me. However they have grown to an extent which I'm afraid they may just explode out of me."

Sakuno closed her eyes tightly as if preparing for something. Then she let it all out, the years of feelings within her.

"Ryoma-kun! I like you a lot!" Sakuno said in a loud voice.

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Shocked silence ensued within the school. Everyone was either staring at each other or at the speaker.

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Sakuno quickly realised what she just did. Her chocolate orbs shot wide open together with her mouth which she used her hands to cover them. Her cheeks were dyed a deep crimson as her features held disbelief on what she just did.

Outside the recording room, Tomoka was giving victory signs and grinning widely.

"You go Sakuno!" She cheered.

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Eiji was gaping with his mouth wide open. Then his sense kicked in.

"Fuji!" Eiji gasped excitedly to the smiling Fuji. "Sakuno-chan just made a public love declaration to ochibi!" he bounced around Fuji.

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Tezuka's eyes widened a while before returning his usual stoic look. He took out an organiser and began writing.

_"I have to have a talk with Echizen on this. He must know how to juggle his personal affairs together with his studies and tennis."_

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Momoshiro's food dropped out of his mouth, earning many disgusted stares.

"That Echizen!" he said out aloud. "It's good to be so young, so young!"

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Inui was furiously writing in his notebook.

"So the feeling is mutual. Ii data…" he smiled creepily.

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"Echizen…" Kawamura said softly.

_"Yes! I'll give him a sushi voucher so that he can treat the girl!" _Kawamura thought.

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"Fshuu!" Kaidoh let out in his classroom.

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Oishi was prancing up and down in the hallway outside his class.

"Echizen likes Ryuuzaki and Ryuuzaki likes Echizen." He mumbled to himself. "So they will be going out. Ryuuzaki is sensei's granddaughter. Echizen will have to face sensei. Can Echizen cope with his studies and tennis too? What of he hurts Ryuuzaki? Argh!" he screamed as he clutched his head. Everyone who heard it stared at him strangely.

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Sakuno could not believe she just confessed to Ryoma with the entire school as her audience! It hit her back at full blast. Half-crying, she ran out of the recording room, ignoring Tomoka's cheers.

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Sakuno sobbed as she ran across the hallways and down the staircases. She tried her best not to fall even though the images were blurry due to her tears. It may be better for her too. She would probably die of embarrassment from all the attention she got.

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Sakuno ran down the stairs to the first level where the first years' classrooms were. She wanted nothing more than to hide somewhere, perhaps the washroom or changing room to cry. As she ran, she missed a step and was sent hurling down the stairs.

"Ah!" Sakuno screamed as she braced herself for the impact.

"Ryuuzaki!" A voice called out and before she knew it, she was not on the hard cold floor, but in warm arms. Sakuno opened her eyes groggily.

"Ryo…Ryoma-kun!" Sakuno gasped in shock as she realised who she was in the hands of. Ryoma was staring straight back at her with his golden eyes. Her blush deepened further as she struggled to get out of Ryoma's embrace.

Ryoma did not budge but held on to Sakuno tighter. Being in such close contact was too much for Sakuno. She closed her eyes again.

"Ryuuzaki!" Ryoma said. "Look at me!"

Hesitantly, Sakuno opened her eyes to look straight into Ryoma's ones. She wanted to turn away again, but he would not let her.

"About what you said just now," Ryoma smirked. "Yes."

"Huh?" It took a while for Sakuno to register what the tennis prince had just said to her. Her orbs shot wide open.

"But…but…" her stutter was back. "I'm clumsy and lousy in tennis… Ano…I'm bad in English and my hair is too long…"

"I like your hair." Ryoma cut her off, gently touching her long braids. "I have always liked them."

"Ryo…Ryoma-kun…" Sakuno stammered, the blush not leaving her face.

"Mada mada da ne." Ryoma smirked, still not letting go of her.

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"Gosh it really shocked me!" Katsuo commented.

Kachiro nodded his head. "I always thought Ryuuzaki was a shy girl. But I think Tomoka made her do it."

"Anyway she is happy with Ryoma-kun now. I'm glad for the both of them!" Katsuo smiled.

"Me too." Kachiro added. Then he looked around as if trying to find something or someone. "Where's Horio?" he asked.

"Eh?" Katsuo let out while scanning the classroom. "He was present this morning. Where did he go?"

Just then a voice came from the speaker.

"It's time again for our weekly 'Seigaku: Let Your Heart Out' programme! Today we have a boy from the first year with us. Here you go!"

"Ahem!" the speaker got out uneasily. "Eto…with my two years of experience…"

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Author's notes: This may feel a bit rushed and messy. Please forgive me!

Please read and review!


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